Continuous wire-drawing machinery.



J. P. DOOLEY. CONTINUOUS WTRE DRAWING MACHINERY.

Patented Bee. 3, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I. 1917- Ezwn zo LEmes Z700 Ze I. P. DOOLEY.

commuous WIRE DRAWINfi MACHINERY; APPLICATION FILED MAR. 7. I917- 1 ,Q,$6 53 Patented Dec. 5, I918.

ZSHEETS-SHEET 2 UNHE JAMES P. DUDLEY, 0Z5 WOEZCESTER. MASS COMPANY, snrrs.

CDNZIN'UOUS Wmnn Application filed March 2 T 0 all "whom. it may concern.

Be it known that. I, Janus P. DooLnY. a

citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of vv orcester and lonnnonwealth of Massachusetts, have inventeda new and useful Improvement in Continuous ire-Drawing Machinery. of which the following. taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement; in that class of wire drawing machinery in which the wire to be drawn is reduced in diameter a numberof times by being successively passed through a series of dies in one continuous drawing process, the present application covering the subject matter which is shown and described but; not. claimed in my application Serial No. 808.801, filed December 26, 1913, which has matured into Patent Iio. 1,212,915), issued January 1t 1917.

in drawing wire by the continuous process. it has been the practice heretoi' ore to provide adjacent each reducing die of .le series, and in, position to draw the wire therethrongh. a drawing or forwarding drain, the wire being given a number of turns around each of said drama in order to insure of its being forwarded at a speed substantially equal to the peripheral speed or" the drum. Each drum of the series is given a greater peripheral speed than the one next preceding, in order to allow for the elongation of the wire due to its reduction in diameter. It sometimes happens. owing to unusual resistance arising. in the drawing operation, that the predetermined' peripheral speed ol one or more oi the drums becomes greater than the speed at. which the wire is traveling, which condition causes a relative slipping between the wire and drum. resultinn in a rougrhcning oi the wire and a scon inn oi the drum. lhe same detrimental el' feet is also apparent, when. by reason of an unexpected decrease in one. or more of the resistances to the drawing operation. thc speed at which the wire is traveling exceeds the peripheral sp ed of the forwarding drum.

Variousv attempts. all oi them involvingmore or less complicated mechanisn'i. have been made. with the end in view oi ovcrconr inn thcsc dilliculties inherent in the opera tion of continuous wire drawing. machines. It has been proposed to regulate the spe d oi Specification of Letters Patent.

ACHUSEITS. ASSIGNOR TO 'WRIGHT VJIRE OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHU- BAW'ING MACHINERY.

Patented Dec. 3. H938.

, 1917. Serial lTO. 153,157.

the drawing drums automatically by means of th tension of the wire that is being worked. and to this end change speed gearing has been emploved in driving the drawinndrums, and automatic means, operated by an. increase or a decrease in the tension oi the wire. are utilized to shift the gears and thereby impart to the drum or drums a greater or less speed, as the case may be. It hasalso been proposed to drive the drums by bells or cords. andto regulate the speed of said drums by varying the degree of tightncss oi said belts or cords on thcir l'cspe "ive pulleys. This regulation is also cl"- fectcd automaticall v by the tension ol the wire that is being worked.

both of the instrnmcntalities above re.- l crrcd to involve complicated and expensive mechanism. and turthernun'c. practice has demonstrated that each is only ctl eutive within narrow limits. The, positive change speed gearing by which the speed ot rota..- tion of one or more drums is suddenly inc eased or decreased is, certain to impart to the wire a more or icss violent shock. The belt or ccrd driven drums oi the othcr mcch' anism arc inctiicicnt and wasteful of power, and are not positive in action. Neither mechanism provides any means for compensalingr for any considerable resistance to the drawingoperation, such as would arise either in the actual drawing of the wire. or in the feeding of the nn'drawn wire to the -nnu-hinc. and be or such degree as to cause the wire to break. i

Nor does either mechanism provide an means whereby the machine may be stopped it there is a break in the wire. or it the resistance to the drawing operation rises above a prcdetcrmincd point. ()n the contrary. in all machines heretofore used. the machine continues to run even after the wire is broken. until broHnhtto a stop by the operator. 7 v

The present invention onlt-unplatcs. in acontinuous ire drawing machine. the elimination ol' ..d speed changing means oi the character above referred to for the drawing or forwarding drums. and the provision o'l' a series of positively driven drawing drums, ha ving predctermined peripheral speeds. said speeds so calculated as to reduce, to a minimum the possibility o'l slippage be ween the drum and the wire that. isbeing worked. itis also proposed. in. a machine oi such character. to so proportion the suwessive dies of the machine that the final die through which the wire is drawn merely shapes and smooths the same, whereby the necessity for a heavy draft on the wire in its finally reduced state is avoided, thus minimizing the chances ot breakage in the wire at its point of least cross section. And as a simple, inexpensive and reliable means for compensatihg for any ditt'erences in speed between the drums and the wire that is being avhrlted, and also for providing an etlicient check or limit upon the tension to which the wire is subjected during the operation of drawing. it is proposed to provide. first, in connection with each drawing drum and die, a movable guide pulley tor the wire. nor mally held. by means of a weight. at its extreme limit of movement, but adapted. when the tension of the wire increases, to more. against the action of its weight in a direction to decrease the length of the wire em ployed for-encircling it and thereby permit a taster feeding ol the wire in response to the increased tension; and second, it is proposed to introduce so as to be ellective. at a point in the wire between said linal die and the final drawing drum. where the tension is the resultant of all strains arising in the drawing operation. a positive stop mechanism adapted to'stop the operation of the machine when a In addition, there is provided means, in the form of a secondary stop mechanism, inter posed in advance ot' -the first drawing or forwarding drum. for relieving the wire un' dergoing the drawing process of all strains incidental to the unwinding of the undrawn wire trom its reel or the feeding of the same to the machine, whereby any considerable resistance arising from such a cause will effect the stopping ot the machine.

In order that the invention may be understood, scribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a. front elevation of the machine.

Fig, 2 is a top plan view thereof. certain parts being omitted, to render clearer the disclosure of other parts.

' Fig. 3 is a detail view. on line 3-3}. Fig. 2, illustrating the stop mechanism which is interposed between the final drawing die and drawing drum.

Similar reference clniracters reter to similar parts in the different figures.

The machine is carried by a frame eonreadily sisting of spaced parallel members 1, 1. sup-- ported by legs 2, Journrled in bearings 23, 3, on the "frame members 1. l, and extend ing transverselyot' said frame members, is a main drive shaft 4. The said shaft 4 is e.\'- tended beyond the rear frame member 1 and is supported in a bearing 3' carried by a bracket 1 on said member, and this extended break in" the wire occurs.-

the machine will now be deportion of the shaft lis provided with a fast. pulley 5 and a loose pulley 6, either of which is adapted to be driven by a belt 7 connecting with a source of power, not shown. The belt T is adapted to be shifted from one pulley to the other, by means of a shifting torli S, which is operated by mechanism to be hereinafter described.

Suitabl Y spaced apart along the members 1, l are the transverse shafts 9, 9', 9 and?) which are supported in bearings carried by said members 1, l, and which carry drawing drums it), .10, HF and 10 respectively, on

,portions thereof extending outwardly from the front, member 1. gear it which is in mesh with a pinion 12 carried by the main drive shaft, at, whereby said shaft 9 is positively rotated at a predetermined speed; and each of the succeeding s rafts 5), S and 9? is positively driven from the one next precedingby means of sprocket gearing indicated as a whole respectively by the numerals 13, 1.3 and 13 The drums 10, 10', 10 and 1.0 are idemical in size, but the sprocket gearing between the shafts 9, i), 9 and 9 is so proportioned as to rotate each drum at a predetermined peripheral speed in excess of the prcdete rmined peripl'ie'al speed of the drum next precedin or a purpose which will herein- (arried by the shaft 9 is a bevel gear 14 which meshes with a bevel pinion 15 carried by a vertical shaft 16, directly under the shaft 9 and supported by means of a thrust hearing 17. The shaft 16 drives a vertical shaft 15), supported in a thrust bearing 20, and journal hearing 21., by means of sprocket gearing 22, and said gearing 22am the bev-'. eled gear wheels 14 and 15 are so proportioned as to give to a vertical driun 23,. mounted on the upper end of theishaft'lil. a. peripheral speed slightly in excess of the peripheral speed of the drawing drum 10 the said drum constituting the final draws ing drum of the series.

Adjacent. the forward end of each shaft- 9. 9 and 9 and supported by the front frame member 1, are a number of upright standards 24, 2t, 24: and 2d, the same being connected at their upper ends by a l0ngitndi-., nal brace Each upright is reoes sed as at 26 throughout a major portion of its length and the walls of said recesses form guides tor slides '2? which have jonrn'al'ed therehn guide pulleys 28. To each slide is attached a rope or chain 29, assing over a pulley 30 journaled 0n the race member 25, and having on its other end. a weight 31. The weights normally serve to keep the slides carrying the guide pulleys at their extreme uppermost positions. However, when the wire, at any point in the drawing operation is subject to unusual tension or strain, the lowering of one or more of the messes pulleys 28, by draft on the wire passing thercover, will automatically compensate for such strain.

At that end of the machine at which the wire is introduced, the front member 1 is provided with a horizontal guideway on which is adapted to reciprocate a slide 33 carrying a pulley 34. Above said guideway and in the same vertical plane as the pulley Bet is locateda pulley 35 carried on a memberxiSG, which also is provided with a guiding aperture 37 for-the wire. The wire to be drawnds tzik'n from a reel 38, jour naled on a bracket 38 at the end of the machine, 1s passed under and around pulley Bl and over pulley 35 through aperture 37 and is given a number of turns around the first drawmg drum 10. From here it is carried up over the sliding pulley 2S and' down through the first die box and die plate, in advance of the drawing drum 10. The seve all die boxes 39 are mounted on brackets -.l.0 extending from the front member 1, and each carries a guide pulley ll under which the wire is passed prior to its passage through a die l2, in the forward end of the box. In each successive box of the series, the dies 42 are gradually reduced in size, whereby the wire drawn therethrough is grad- 30.

ually elongated and, for this reason, the peripheral speeds of the several drawing drums "are gradually increased from the drmn 10 to the drum 10". Prior to its passage through each die l2, the wlre is guided over the corresponding guide pulleys 28 and +1 until it ultimately reaches the final die box 3!). which is similar to the preceding die boxes of the series, but. is mounted adjacent. the vertical drum 23, so that the wire as it is drawn through theshaping die 43 thereof is tangential to the periphery of said drum, and is wound thereon preparatory to being spoolcd in its final state.

The means by which the spooling is offected will now be described. Mounted in bearings suspended from the mem'l'iers l is a transverse shaft 44, which is rotated from the shaft. 3. by means of pulleys 45 and 46 and a belt 47. The said shaft if is provided intermediate its ends with an intersccting right and left. handed screw grooving 48, in which is adapted to travel a member rtl pivoted in a box or sleeve .30 which surrounds the shaft. The box 50 is connected by a link 51 to an intermediate point of a lever pivoted at its lower end 53 and having at its upper end a slotted connection with a horizontally disposed bar 54: slidable transversely of the machine in guides The rotation of the shaft 44 causes the box 50 to reciprocate thereon by reason of the alternate reversals of movement imparted to the pivoted member 49 at each end of the grooving 48. At its front end the bar 54 carries a pair of rolls 57, between which the wire is led from the drum '23 and thence onto the spool 58 detachably carried by the shaft 59, said shaft being mounted in bearings 60 on the members 1, 1, which bearings (50 also carry the guides 55 for the reciprocating 'bar 54:. The shaft 59 is rotated at a predetermined speed by means of a belt (31 passing over pulleys 62 and (33 on the shaft 9" and on shaft 59 respectively, so proportioned that the peripheral speed of the spool is approximately equal to the peripheral speed of the drum The reciprocatirnfof the bar 5% is timed so as to guide the wire carried by its rolls 57 in even layers on the rotating spool.

livoted on a bracket (it, secured to the front member 1 is a bell crank lever (35 having one arm thereof (56 inclined downwt-irdly and forwardly, and pivotally connected to one end of a bar (38, which bar at its other end is slidably supported in a slot 69 of a bracket 70 :arricd by the frame The bar 68 has a collar 71 secured thereto for a purpose which will presently appear. A lever 72, pivoted at its lower end 72 to a bracket in the lioor, extends upwardly, and adjacent the bar (38 is enlarged in cross section as at 73, and formed with an aperture 73 which loosely encircles the bar 68 between the collar 71 and the bracket Tl). \Vhcn the machine is running. the lever 72 is in the position shown in Figs, 1 and :2. with its upper end above the 'bar (38 engaged by a notclrTl in a catch lever 75. pivoted on the top of the bracket 70 and passing behind said lever 72.

Secured to the bottom of the last die box is a bracket having a vertical arm 70, in which is journaled a pin 77 carrying a weighted member 78 in the form of a bell crank. The edge of the weighted arm thereof rests lightly against the wire as the same passes from the final die 4-?) to the drum 23. The other arm of the bell crank 78 is pivotallv connected to one end of a link 80. which link at its other end is pivoted to the catch lever 75. Upon the breaking of the wire at this point, which is its point. of smallest cross section, the weight. 78 will swing downward, and through link 80 will withdraw the catch lever 75 from its engagement with the lever 72. Upon the rclease of lever 72. a spring 31 secured at one end to the lever and at the other end to a fixed bracket or hook 92 on the frame, serves to carry said lever and with it the bar (58, through the. medium of the collar Tl, tothe left, in Fig, 2-, whereby the other arm 7 of the bell crank (35 will be moved rcarwardly. Said arm 37 has a pin and slot engagement with one end of a reciprocating rod 83, slidablc in ways 84. 84-, carried by the frame, the other end of said rod having secured thereto. by means of a standard 8 the belt fork 8. 'lhrough the mc- Illll dium of the above described mechanism, the belt '7 is shifted onto the loose pulley when the wire breaks at the point described, and there is thus provided a mechanism for positively stopping the action of the machine when such breakage occurs.

Secured to the slide 33, which carries the pulley M, is a chain 86 which passes over the pulley 8T, j'ournaled on the frame and carries on its other end a weight. 88. A heavy spiral spring 85), is hung loosely with one end attached to the slide 33 and the other end to the end of the bar (38 where the latter is joined to the bell crank lever arm (36. \Vhen there is any resistance to the unwinding of the wire from the reel 38, or any resistance to the travel of said wire at any point in advance of the drawing drum 10, the slide 33 will be drawnto the left in Fig. 2, inopposition to the pull of weight 88, and if the resistance be strong enough so as to carry the slide any considerable distance to the left, the slack of the spring 89 will be taken up, and finally the bar (38 will be drawn to the leftby said spring so as to shift the belt fork 8 and stop the drawing process. The guideway 32 is made long enough so that the above described shifting of the belt fork 8 is effected when the slide 33 has moved to the left to a point about midway the length. of said guideway. Even after the machine is disconnected from the source of power, it may continue to operate for a short time due to the inertia of the moving parts, and any tension on the wire caused by such operation is compensated for a father movement of the slide 33 to the left along said guideway, againstthe pull of spring 89, thereby relieving the wire of undue strain.

It is to be particularly noted that the stop mechanisms act entirely independently of one another. although both act to move the iiibar 68 to the left. When the secondary stop mechanism performs its function the bar 68 is moved without affecting the position of the lever 72, which remains in engagement with the catch lever '75. The machine is started by moving the bar 68 to the right, to the position shown-in Fig. 2, by means of a hand lever, not shown, whereby the lever 72 will also be carried to the right through the medium of the collar 71.

I claim:

1. In a continuous wire drawing machine, the combination with a series of parallel shafts, of means for positively driving each of said shafts at a constant speed having a fixed and unvarying relation to the speed of every other shaft, a drawing drum, positively attached to each of said shafts and rotating atthe speed of its attached shaft, 2!.

series of dies alternating with said drums,

and a tension relieving means interposed between each drum and the next succeeding die.

2. Ina continuous wire drawing machine, the combination with a series of parallel shafts, of means for positively driving each of said shafts at a constant speed having a fixed and unvarying relation to the speed of every other shaft, a drawing drum positively attached to each of said shafts and rotating at the speed of its attached shaft. a series of dies alternating with said drums, and a tension device comprising a slidable weighted pulley interposed between each drum and the next succeeding die.

Dated this twenty-eighth day of February, 1917.

JAMES P. DOOLEY.

Witnesses WI LIAM J. Gums, DAVID F. DILLON. 

